New Commissions

Festivals of LifeS4C, France Televisions and Distributor DRGBlue-chip international documentary series for France Télévisions, S4C and distributor DRG Somewhere across the globe, on any given day of the year, a cultural festival is taking place. While some play out against a backdrop of city streets and plazas, others are celebrated amongst the wilds of nature. But whatever the location, festivals of life provide us all with a sense of ritual in an ever-changing world. Festivals cover all facets of the human condition: the changing seasons; weddings and coming of age ceremonies; births and deaths; the worship of gods and the battle against evil spirits. So, despite the increasing pace of economic and social change in modern life, humanity’s fervour for festivals has not diminished. In fact if anything it has increased as our lives have become ever more fragmented. Whatever the subject matter, festivals continue to punctuate our social calendar generation after generation, allowing us to retain a sense of shared identity and a chance to celebrate our unique cultural heritage. On the face of it these local customs and rituals can seem like snapshots in time, continuing on as they were hundreds if not thousands of years ago. But appearances can often be deceptive. Travelling across the globe, Festivals of Life showcases three of the world’s most iconic cultural festivals at close quarters, revealing the ever-changing nature of such collective festivities. Amidst the crowds and pandemonium, Green Bay follows individual revellers from all walks of life as they share their experience of great and colourful cultural occasions. Through their stories, we reveal the ways in which events with ancient origins continue to inspire current generations. From China’s iconic Spring Festival to Morocco’s romantic marriage festival, to Mexico’s riotous Day of the Dead ritual celebrations, we witness some extraordinary scenes through the eyes of our chosen participants, as they reveal what their festivals mean to them and their fellow countrymen and women in the 21st century.

Ditectifs Hanes Series 3S4C Our popular children’s history series returns for a third series – Anni, Tuds and Hefin the Detective are all set to explore the past in eight more Welsh towns.

Pyramid Rescue - The Reporters: Jason MohammadS4CPyramid Rescue The Reporters: Jason Mohammad Jason Mohammad goes to the Step Pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt – to follow a group of Welsh experts who are trying to save the world’s oldest stone structure of all from collapse. A century older than the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Step Pyramid is a cornerstone in human history. But now its stones and walls are crumbling, and there’s a real danger that one of our great treasures will be lost. No-one has the ingenuity, the skills or the courage to save it – no-one, that is, apart from a company from Newport in Gwent.

Creu Cymru Fodern with Huw EdwardsS4CHuw Edwards charts the astonishing changes which have created modern Wales over the last 250 years. The country was rich in copper and iron, slate and coal – but it was people who drove the industrial revolution forward. And in order to understand this human story, Huw follows the fortunes of one particular family – his own. In the first episode, the focus of Welsh life turns from the farm to the furnace. There’s a revolution underway - in commerce, employment, education and religion. By 1850, more people were working in industry than in agriculture – Wales was the first industrial nation. In the second episode, Huw traces the story of his grandmother’s family, as they move – along with tens of thousands of others – from the rural West to the Valleys Coalfield. By 1914, a quarter of a million men were at work in Welsh collieries. This new society needed champions to protect its old and sick and poor – and one Welshman came to the fore in the battle for justice. But it was the workers themselves, their families, their unions and their communal values which set the tone of the era. And in the final episode, covering the troubled period since the Second World War, the country has changed more rapidly than ever. Yet, somehow, in a world of international trade and global communications, our sense of ourselves as a nation has survived and strengthened. Huw traces the story of his family through the last 70 years, as they move home again, and change the kind of work they do. They witness at first hand the events which have shaped the nation and created our modern Wales.

The Strike: A Personal Memoir by Kim HowellsBBC 1 Wales 30 years after the start of the 1984-5 Miners’ Strike, Dr Kim Howells revisits what was at stake in this controversial and poignant journey to the flashpoints of a defining moment in Britain’s industrial history.

The ScarletsBBC 1 Wales Wales - a rugby nation, where every town and every village gets behind its local team. In Llanelli top class rugby has been played for 140 years... and it inspires a whole region. But these days it’s more than a game; it’s a business. And it’s a business under threat. It’s a battle to keep the big players here in Wales, and to ensure a precious rugby tradition survives. This is the inside story of twelve months of triumph, tension, turmoil and pride in the Scarlet jersey.Unique access to the players, the fans and the boardroom at the Welsh rugby region in one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the domestic game.

Ditectifs HanesS4CThis brand new series brings history alive for the nation's children. This pioneering series is set to educate as well as entertain and will be providing additional digital teaching content on the website. This is the first time that S4C has offered educational material alongside a television programme and the channel is " very grateful to Green Bay Media and Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales for their co-operation in this exciting venture".